In recent years, technologies (cell patterning) that define an adhesive region and a non-adhesive region of cells using a culture base material (or substrate) on which two chemical species, which are adhesive and non-adhesive to cells, are patterned have been studied in various fields from a cell biological fundamental researches to applied researches such as tissue engineering and cell substrate sensors.
Among the above technologies, various functional materials in which cell adhesion in a specific region on a culture substrate can be controlled by converting surface chemical species through phase transition, oxidation-reduction, and a chemical reaction according to external stimuli such as heat (temperature), electricity, and light have been studied in the technical field, which particularly attracts the attention, of converting (switching) the cell adhesion according to the external stimuli.
In Patent Document 1, for example, a material in which light-degradable groups and cell attachment controlling groups are sequentially bonded by covalent bonds has been developed as a cell attachment/culture base material that enables cell attachment properties to be applied by light irradiation. As other technologies, a method for fabricating a substrate to which cells intended for new cell adhesion patterning formation and size change are fixed during cell culture, including elimination of light-degradable protecting groups from functional groups by light irradiation (Patent Document 2), a patterning substrate for cell culture so that cells adhere onto a substrate in high-definition pattern and a method for producing the same (Patent Document 3), and a production method for a control tool of cell arrangement (Patent Document 4) have been developed.